To listen to the radio version, click here.
To search archives, click here.
Apples of Gold
Radio Script for May 21, 2009
“Let’s Lift the Name of Jesus Just As High As We Possibly Can”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
As a writer I try to come up with phrases that no one has ever used before.
I know it’s impossible to prove, but with the internet we can at least check.
Go ahead. The next time you think up a new phrase, Google it. You’ll find out just how unique it may or may not be.
Well lately I’ve been thinking about a phrase that an old friend used a lot. Jack Hill used to always say, “Let’s lift the name of Jesus just as high as we possibly can.”
So today I Googled it and guess what? It’s not there. Congratulations, Jack – it’s all yours!
Now maybe he heard it from someone else, but all I know is that he said it a lot, I’ve never heard anyone else say it, and I love it!
Here it is again: Let’s lift the name of Jesus just as high as we possibly can.
Now here’s a word we don’t use very often. Exalt.
It’s another way to say “lift up.” Psalm 148:13 says, “…His name alone is exalted…”
Isaiah 12:4 says, “…proclaim that His name is exalted.”
Psalm 34:3 says, “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together.”
I like this one definition of exalt: raise in rank.
It’s not that Jesus needs a promotion in rank. He is already the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But in the eyes of this old world, Jesus needs a raise in rank. People need to think more highly of Him. He needs to be exalted, to be lifted up.
So how do we do that?
Well the most obvious way is with our lips. We praise Him and lift Him up with our words, including our songs.
But now look at this phrase Paul used in Philippians 1:20. He said, “…that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body…”
That’s more than just words. It’s all we say and do and think. In everything, may Christ be exalted in my body.
Yes, that’s setting the bar high, but come on. We need to set the bar high!
One reason Jesus has a low rank with some people is because our lives don’t exalt Him.
Lately I’ve been soaking up a song called “His Renown” by Christy Nockels.
The opening line is, “Who do we say that He is…with our lives?”
Then it says, “Who do we say that He is…for the little eyes are watching you and me.”
How I live declares loudly who Jesus is – especially to the next generation. Those eyes are watching. And even if I lift Him up with my lips, the question is, do I lift Him up with my life? Like Paul said, is Christ exalted in my body?
Now look at Psalm 102:12. “But You, oh Lord, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures through all generations.”
That’s another great word: renown.
It’s in the name of that song I was talking about, “His Renown.”
That phrase shows up at the end of the chorus, which goes like this: “So the ones that come behind us will follow in His name and see the greatness of His renown.”
Here’s the thing. People are watching. The next generation is watching. So it is imperative that Christ be exalted. He must be lifted up in our words and our lives.
Colossians 1:10 says to “…live a life worthy of the Lord…”
Don’t you want that? Don’t you want Christ to be exalted in your life?
“So the ones that come behind us will follow in His name and see the greatness of His renown!”
So let’s exalt Him with our words and with our lives.
Let’s lift Him up.
Yes, let’s lift the name of Jesus just as high as we possibly can!
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here: http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one: douglas_apple@msn.com
(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-
No comments:
Post a Comment